Welcome to Charming, where swirling petticoats, the language of flowers, and old-fashioned duels are only the beginning of what is lying underneath…
After a magical attempt on her life in 1877, Queen Victoria launched a crusade against magic that, while tidied up by the Ministry of Magic, saw the Wizarding community exiled to Hogsmeade, previously little more than a crossroad near the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In the years that have passed since, Hogsmeade has suffered plagues, fires, and Victorian hypocrisy but is still standing firm.
Thethe year is now 1895. It’s time to join us and immerse yourself in scandal and drama interlaced with magic both light and dark.
Complete a thread started and set every month for twelve consecutive months. Each thread must have at least ten posts, and at least three must be your own.
Did You Know?
Did you know? Jewelry of jet was the haute jewelry of the Victorian era. — Fallin
The sunbeams were merry and fair as they danced over the Ruskin garden, and the late afternoon waned over Bartonburg. Dunstan sat alone on the long wooden swing, which was held up by a tree he'd always thought to be older than time itself. He wound his hand around the rope and swung just a little, but felt no desire to go wild as he used to. The young Ravenclaw was home for the Easter holidays, and after catching up with the locale and getting a head start on some homework, he'd returned to the swing he'd once loved. But now he sat, and gazed at the wild bluebells growing by the wall, quietly wishing for the days when all he wanted to do was play.
Family was utterly important to Acacia. Always has been. So getting to see her brother again was utterly wonderful. It had been a shock. Something to get used to. But she was getting there. This sort of thing was going to take time.
He was different. More grown up, as was to be expected. More mature, and even a bit more wise. Acacia had always seen Dunstan as being a Hufflepuff. But there he was, in his house. It was utterly fascinating to the older Ravenclaw. To see what she never thought she would.
Walking out into the back yard, she approached him and sat down on the bench. "What is on your mind, Dunstan?"
Scuffing his foot on the ground to give a hint more motion to the swing (but still barely moving), Dunstan turned to see one of his older sisters perching herself on the garden bench. "You always know when something's up", he observed with a slight smile. He didn't know if Acacia was unusually insightful or if it was just because she knew her brother well. Perhaps it was a bit of both.
"I was just thinking... well... when did you feel your childhood was over?" he asked, unable to articulate his own musings so focussing attention on Acacia instead.
It had been a learning process to get to know people. To read people. Her siblings were the easiest among the rest of the world. Years of knowing each other, in addition to helping her father raise them, made her intuition for these things stronger than ever. "I'm your big sister, it's my job." She said softly.
His question took her a moment to process. How did she word this right? "Well, mine was a unique case. I must say... it was when mother left. I had to grow up so the rest of you didn't have to. Father was going through enough as it was." At times, it felt as if she was acting more as their mother than a big sister. Always worrying about reputation, being concerned that something could go wrong. Father was never disconnected from them, but Acacia had an instinct to make things better.
Dunstan looked up at his sister, entirely understanding. Despite being the only boy, responsibility of Acacia's kind had never been thrust upon him the way it had her. She'd had to help raise him, and had done so splendidly. But...
"With three older sisters, I'd assume that would give me the lucky freedom to stay a child for longer. But..." he shook his head. "I don't know, Acacia. I just feel like it's time I grow up. But I already miss it. My childhood."
There were things in life that one was to express gently, mostly to ease the mind of others. To be polite and kind. But other times being slow to give an answer was more cruel. It gave a false sense of hope where hope shouldn't be needed or wanted. "It will be hard. Things that were fun and silly, will eventually seem childish. Odd little habits will be grown out of. But growing up means responsibility. Knowing one's self more, understanding one's impact on others. You'll do just fine." She assured. This was something she was confident in.
Dun nodded firmly, taking the lesson in hand. He was already a startlingly altruistic boy; he'd always shared his sweets, given away spending Knuts, helped others with homework instead of focussing on his own. He didn't know if he could handle any more responsibility... but he knew Acacia meant responsibility of a very different type to the self-imposed selflessness he was used to.
He fidgeted with a loose thread on the swing's rope as he mused on whether or not to bring this up. And then he did: "I just feel so much more grown-up, so suddenly, and I don't know why. I was wondering if it might be... because of what happened. Or what didn't happen", he corrected himself darkly. What if the temporal anomaly that had "brought him back to life" had also messed with his mind...?
Dunstan's acts of kindness were generous enough, but his thought were true that this was not what she meant. Things were a bit more complicated than chocolate frogs and pocket change.
Acacia bit her lip as she thought for a moment. "News like that must be more difficult than I could ever understand. But to have no reaction at all would leave me far more concerned, Dunstan. Chrysanta and I have changed, as I'm sure you noticed since the day I fainted. Orinda did as well. We're all different. I'm not surprised that a sense of more maturity could result in that."
Dunstan nodded once more, comprehending and appreciating her words. He looked down at his feet; in shoes recently bought, because he was growing faster than his father could keep up with.
"Change..."
"You're right, Aca. That's what all this is really about, in the end: change. What's next, do you suppose?" he asked, looking up at her again, a slight smile in his midnight blue eyes. "Werewolves, earthquakes? Chrysanta running off to marry a ghost or something?"
Father certainly was trying hard. Always had. Even as a level-headed man, he always seemed a bit flustered by his children. And with two young step-children to come, along with any others he and Naomi would have, it did seem to leave him trying to make everything comfortable for all involved. New clothes, when Acacia constantly insists that charming the old ones would be just fine. Trying to arrange family dinners more often than normal, much to grandmother's distain and grandfather's delight.
To be called yet another nickname made the older sibling scrunch her nose. She hated nicknames, refused to call any of her siblings by theirs. Much to Chrysanta's annoyance, she was sure. But she made no comment, for this wasn't the time. She could always complain later. "Goodness me, we'll be lucky if that's all she does. I heard she threatened to bite someone again." She muttered, shaking her head. Of course, it was usually sarcastically, but every time nearly left Acacia fainting left and right from stress alone. The Slytherin was certainly a bold young woman. All Acacia could hope for was, at the very least, a respectable marriage and leave it at that.
Dun's mild attempt at lightheartedness failed before it began, as Acacia met his words with a frown and dejection. The smile in his eyes fizzled out. Poor girl — it sounded like she was the one who needed a return to some semblance of a childhood, even for a moment. She had such weight on her shoulders.
The reminder of their uncanny vampire blood did not help. "Well, let's hope they bite back. She likes a challenge."
Dunstan shifted on the swing to face Acadia better. "Do you feel like playing a game?" he asked carefully. They were both still so young, two students on their Easter holidays. They had matured fast, but not everything had to be grown-up.
The joking did not help. Acacia took things too seriously at times. Was always a bit too stressed about what others might think about her and her family. Being a half-breed made her self-conscious of everything.
Acacia was meant to be out of school by now. Thinking of marriage and such. But yes, she was young. She was supposed to have some sort of fun. So when her little brother asked to play a game, she gave a small smile and nodded. "What game?"
Pleased that his sister was open to some regression into childhood, Dun explained his idea. "How about a game of 'I've Never'. I played it with some classmates before Christmas. Basically, we each hold out ten fingers", he demonstrated. "One person finishes the sentence 'I've never...', and everyone who has done the thing has to put down one finger. And so on. First person with all ten fingers down loses the game."
Goodness, wasn't this too easy for siblings? But it was a game after all. Perhaps the questions could be odd. "Alright, first question goes to you." She said as she held up her own hands. She didn't even want to know what sort of questions teen boys asked each other during games.
Biting her lip, Acacia slowly lowered one finger. "Don't get any ideas... or tell our sisters. I was studying all night the night before and was reasonably exhausted. They do not need the encouragement." She said sternly.
Then she took a moment to think. What was a good question. "I've never eaten those every flavor beans." Which was true, she never really fancied the risk of getting a terrible flavor. She might be a Ravenclaw, but she wasn't that curious.
![[Image: dun-sig.jpg]](https://i.ibb.co/mzsPwPc/dun-sig.jpg)
